Empowering Women

Changing mindsets

According to the Harvard Business Review, 52 percent of women in STEM leave the field and never come back. Reasons such as being the only woman on the team, feeling stalled in a career or feeling extreme work pressure with no flexibility play a part in the decision. SAS has always promoted a corporate culture of diversity and fairness, and encouraged a balance of career and healthy lifestyle.

Career and Leadership Development

The Women’s Initiative Network (WIN) is a strong community of SAS employees who empower, encourage and inspire women to pursue excellence in their careers and fulfillment in their personal lives. Members act as ambassadors for SAS and STEM careers, sharing time and expertise to develop leadership capabilities among female employees, expand professional networks, showcase thought leaders and attract women to careers in science and technology.

Collaboration and Networking

Triangle Women in STEM is a coalition of universities, organizations, nonprofits, associations and local government agencies that promote women in STEM in the Research Triangle area of North Carolina.

The NC Chapter of the Women in Machine Learning and Data Science (WiMLDS) Meetup Group now holds its inaugural event at SAS world headquarters. Prior to this, there were only two other chapters in San Francisco and New York City. That’s no longer the case thanks to the leadership of a few SAS employees like Funda Gunes, who noted, "We are hoping our group can serve as a way to promote interactions among women in statistics, machine learning and computer science."

When the Global Women in Data Science (WiDS) Conference took place this year, more than 75 of SAS’ women in data science came together at SAS world headquarters to livestream the event. They took advantage of the time together to network, discuss career paths and listen to a panel discussion from respected area professionals.

SAS hosts a Women in Big Data Meetup at our San Francisco office to give women the opportunity to learn about visual data discovery and machine learning.

Great Workplace for Women

Year after year, SAS is recognized as a Best Workplace for Women by Fortune magazine. Commitment to employees – and their families – is part of the reason that women make up nearly half of the SAS workforce and more than 40 percent of leadership. A pioneer in workplace culture for more than 40 years, SAS has set the standard by fostering an environment that helps employees balance their careers and personal lives. Perks particularly beneficial to working mothers include subsidized childcare, meals to go, parenting workshops, lactation consultants, and work/life counselors and seminars. Access to a free on-site health care center with a full-service pharmacy and a myriad of other convenient on-site services also reinforce why SAS appeals so strongly to all employees.

2016 Capella Women in Analytics Scholars

Capella Scholarship for Women in Analytics

Capella University and SAS team up every year to offer the Capella Women in Analytics Scholarship specifically designed to encourage women to join the growing field of big data and analytics. Along with the scholarship, the four recipients are invited to attend the annual SAS Analytics Experience conference, as well as visit SAS world headquarters in Cary to network with other analytics professionals.

Check out the 2016 and 2017 Capella Scholarship for Women in Analytics winners. Each year winners are announced at SAS Global Forum

Commitment to employees – and their families – is part of the reason that women now make up nearly half the SAS workforce and more than 40 percent of SAS leadership.

Special Event: STEM Goes Red

The Triangle STEM Goes Red event, hosted by the SAS Women’s Initiatives Network (WIN) and the American Heart Association (AHA), introduced more than 100 middle school girls to some of the area’s leading science, technology and engineering companies through their showcased work.These future leaders learned firsthand how they can make an impact in the world by pursuing a STEM career.